


Grief makes funny friends

by pimpface



Category: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Genre: Enemies to Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Rated M for later Chapters, SO FLUFFY, Slow Burn, but not really, like the actual slowest, so angsty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-25 07:08:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12525812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pimpface/pseuds/pimpface
Summary: A year after Penny's death and Horrible and Hammer work through things in their own way





	Grief makes funny friends

It had been a year since Dr Horrible had won having beaten his arch-rival, Captain Hammer, and killing an innocent to earn himself his rightful place within The Evil League of Evil. It had been 10 months, however, since Billy has lost the love of his life to a madman.  
  
It was a cold day in the city, thick black clouds and sharp wind. Billy pulled his hood over his head and shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He ducked his chin into his scarf to try and ward off some of the day's bitterness. It was a dull navy scarf, frayed at the ends, a small hammer symbol on one end. It had belonged to Penny and one day ended up in his pile of washing at the laundromat. A pure mistake and he was going to give it back, but he never got the chance.  
  
Billy pulled his hood down and ruffled the chill out of his hair as he entered the church from the back door known only to few. He kept his head lowered and avoided the eyes of the other grievers as he headed to his usual seat at the back. He noticed a small commotion near the main doors and tried to peer through the crowd to see who it was but couldn't make out who was at the centre. He stood on his tiptoes and cocked his head for a better view, his curiosity was always his weakest point.  
  
Finally, the crowd began to disperse, and Billy could get a better look at the main attraction. As soon as his eyes found just what was so interesting, his whole body froze as though it had been blasted by his freeze ray.  
  
What the hell was _he_ doing here? The whole point of him going here was the support group was so far outside the city and there was no chance of _him_ being here to give one of his "motivation" speeches. Sure, there would have been some other dumb local here, but at least it wouldn't have been _him_. Captain Hammer.  
  
Through his shock, he'd forgotten to stop staring and had now made eye contact. Shit! How was he going to get out of this? He spun around looking for somewhere, anywhere, to hide. Maybe he could make it to the back door in time?  
  
It was too late, though, Hammer was already on his way over, waving off anyone that tried to interrupt. Billy flinched, ready to take whatever he had coming his way.  
  
But nothing came.  
  
He opened his eyes, one at a time, to look at the captain. Did he look.... sheepish? No, that couldn't be right. Billy tried to keep the look of shock off his face, but it must have failed as Hammer smiled at him in his usual charming fashion.  
  
"Yes, it is I, Captain Hammer." Hammer said as he struck a haphazard pose before continuing, "and you're... Bobby, right?"  
  
"It's Billy." He corrected on instinct and was about to roll of his, but remembered himself and smiled.  
  
"Right, right. Billy." He said with genuine happiness at the recollection. "Penny's friend from the laundromat!" Then, as sudden as it came, the smile fell away to be replaced by true pain.  
  
Billy was confused, never having seen such open emotion from the Captain before (other than anger, of course), he was at a loss for what to do. He shifted and fidget with the ends of his sleeves, feeling awkward as a heavy silence fell over them. He hasn't come here to talk about... that. He'd come here to listen to others whine and feel better about himself, less alone. “Yes.” He said, having to clear his throat to stop his voice from breaking. “Yes, I was.” He said firmer.

Hammer kept his eyes to the sky and took a deep breath, reigning everything in. “Anyway.” He said as a way of ending their conversation, Billy replied with a nod, and they separated. Billy back to his seat in the furthest corner of the room shrouded in the shadow of his own thoughts and Hammer back to the front basking in the limelight of adoring fans.

Right where they belonged.

The meeting had finished, everyone mingling and talking amongst themselves in small groups as they sip on their free teas and coffees. Billy was even more confused than he could ever remember being. The group had dragged on, slower than normal, and Hammer had sat there in silence for most of it, only standing to sneak out the back when he thought no one was paying attention. And maybe most of them weren't, but Billy was. He couldn't stop paying attention, couldn't get Hammer out of his mind.

Billy had so many questions. What was Hammer doing here? Why was he being so quiet? If he wasn't here to do some lame speech, then why was he here? Why would he come to one so far out of the city? Could he have been here for the same reason as Billy? He doubted it but what other reason could there be?

His curiosity was getting the better of him. The whole bus ride home he just kept thinking about it. It kept him awake at night, kept him busy during the day. He didn’t enjoy being perplexed. It wasn't until a few days later he got his answer.

Billy was sat cross-legged in his usual spot on the sofa in front of the tv, sipping at his hot coffee and not paying notice to the news. That was until Hammer's face flashed across the screen and big, bold letters spelling MISSING appeared on the screen. That got his attention.

He put down his coffee and flung across the room to grab the remote. He turned the tv up until it was unnecessarily loud, and Mrs Hamm next door was sure to complain.

"Captain Hammer has been missing since Wednesday." The newsreader said in her monotonous voice. The night of the meeting Billy realised. "-Witnesses say he was last seen at a grief counselling group where he was set to talk about the famed catastrophic day he had lost his girlfriend, Penny, to renown criminal Doctor Horrible but had slipped out before the end not to be seen again."

Billy sat there in stunned silence. Staring at the picture of Hammer and Penny. It had been so long since he'd seen her face. He could never build the courage to go to her funeral.

He was broken from his thoughts by a sudden banging at his door and a voice screaming "turn it down you hooligan!"

"Sorry, Mrs Hamm." He yelled back before turning the tv off. He sat in silence just looking at the blank tv. Where could he have gone? Why would he abandon his beloved city?

Billy didn't know why, but he had to find Hammer.

A few days had passed and, despite using his vast intelligence and contacts, Billy had yet to track down any whereabouts for Hammer. A part of him in the deep dark back of his mind was delighted, this meant he had officially defeated his arch nemesis! The other part of him, the brighter and more reasonable part, screaming at him now, knew it was all his fault.

He was sat in his usual spot at the back of the church listening to everyone's sad stories, more and more of them containing Hammer and their feelings of loss for the hero, despite never of having actually /met/ the man. Billy was the only one here that had ever come face to face with Hammer. Many, many times.

Billy had just slipped his earphones in and was about to pull his hood up over his head when he spotted something moving in the back of the room. Senses on high alert, curiosity forever his weakness, and old habits kicking in, he stalked over to investigate. He rounded the man, sneaking behind him through the shadows, years of villainy paying off for him finally.

He grabbed the man and pulled him backward, the strangers hood falling off. He gasped and spun the man around. "Moist?! God dammit, what are you doing here?" He growled out, ignoring the part of him that fell disappointed. Had he really thought it was going to be the Captain?

"I was looking for you! You've been MIA for months, dude." He leaned in close and whispered conspiringly, "the league are looking for you."

Billy rolled his eyes and sighed, why would he care? "So?" He spat out moving away from the damp hand on his shoulder.

Moist looked incredulous for a second and scoffed, "So?" He leaned in close again and continued, "So it's the league dude!" He hissed out.

"Well, did you tell them where I am? Or who I am?" Billy asked, he knew that Moist would never give him up, but he had to ask.

Moist sighed and rubbed at his face, "No, of course, I didn't."

Billy smiled, "then I'm fine, okay? Now look, the longer you hang out with me the more dangerous it gets for you - for both of us."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you're right but-" Moist hesitated and frowned, "just- just call me if you're in trouble, alright?"

Billy smiled and nodded. "Deal." He pulled his hood back up and looked around seeing only a handful of people left, he worried that he was too noticeable. By the time he turned around, Moist had disappeared. Billy fiddled with his earphones for a moment before placing them in his ears and then stalked out of the church.

On the way home, through his usual routes of back streets and dark alleyways, he felt as though he couldn’t settle. There was something that just didn’t feel right. He checked behind him, in the reflection of windows and cars, but saw nothing. No matter he varied his path or sped his pace, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

Once he was home, secure behind a locked door, he felt as If he was being watched, as if someone was behind him even in an empty room. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose and groaned, it had been a long day. He got himself off the sofa and wandered into his bedroom for the first time in days, finally feeling ready to sleep without being woken by thoughts of Hammer.

He trudged out of the bathroom in only his boxers and a t-shirt, teeth having been brushed and face washed, ready to just pass out in bed. He didn’t even bother to turn the light on in his bedroom as he shuffled his way to bed. He yawned and slid his legs under the duvet without even opening his eyes.

He pulled at the duvet and frowned when it wouldn’t give. He mumbled to himself and yanked again, still no budge. He gave one last heave before he gave up with an annoyed groan and flicked on his bedside lamp. He was just so tired, all he wanted to do was sleep.

He turned to see what was on his duvet to be stopping him pulling it, like machine parts or the neighbour’s cat, only to be stopped in his tracks. He gasped, slapping a hand across his face to stop the scream from coming - a very manly scream, of course - at the sight he was met with.


End file.
